Starting Point
Three complete guides, from zero to subnetting, with diagrams, reference documents and a final quiz per tier.
Networking challenges · real labs
Learn networking by breaking and fixing real labs.
A challenge platform in the style of hacking labs, but for networking: every machine is a network with something broken. Find the fault, fix it from the CLI of real devices and climb the ranking.
- 19
- machines on real devices
- 3
- guides with diagrams
- 150+
- quiz questions
- 11
- protocols explained
How you play
A fault, a network, your terminal.
You deploy the machine and have a few minutes. The interface locks: all you have left are each device's commands, as in a real network. When you think it is solved, the server checks it with real pings.
- Linux with iproute2, MikroTik RouterOS and Nokia SR Linux
- DHCP, DNS, web and relay running on the devices
- Traffic captures that open in Wireshark
- Walkthrough and solution, hidden until you ask
pc:~# ping -c 2 10.0.0.10connect: Network is unreachablepc:~# ip route192.168.1.0/24 dev eth0 proto kernel scope linkpc:~# ip route add default via 192.168.1.1pc:~# ping -c 2 10.0.0.1064 bytes from 10.0.0.10: icmp_seq=1 ttl=63 time=0.41 ms64 bytes from 10.0.0.10: icmp_seq=2 ttl=63 time=0.38 ms✓ “Closed Door” beaten · +20 XP
All in one place
From not knowing what an IP is to fixing faults from the CLI.
Machines
Labs with faults you fix from each device's CLI. The more faults, the harder.
Real devices
Each device is a real container running Linux, MikroTik RouterOS or Nokia SR Linux, joined by virtual cables.
Tracks
Guided paths with a goal: switching and VLANs, routing, network services or fault hunting.
Ranking and seasons
XP, ranks, a global ranking and themed seasons. The server checks every challenge on the real devices.
For classrooms
Invitations by role and a students panel for teachers: who progresses, what they beat and how fast.
Some machines
Each with its story, its level and its protocols.
Hello, Neighbour
PC 2 just moved into the neighbourhood and nobody knows its address. Give it a home on the network so PC 1 can say hello.
Invisible Wall
Sales and Warehouse spend the day spying on each other through the same switch. Raise an invisible wall between them.
Bridge Between Islands
Two isolated offices, each with its router, that don't know how to reach each other. Build the bridge.
Phone Book
The client looks up www.ejemplo.com in the directory and the page is blank. Write the missing entry.
Devices
The systems you'll meet at work.
LinuxUbuntuDebianAlpine LinuxMikroTikNokiaDockerWireshark
On the roadmap
HuaweiCiscoJuniperFortinetOpenWrt
Trademarks belong to their owners and are shown only to say which systems you practise or will practise with; none of them sponsors this project.
How it works
Three steps, at your own pace.
- 1
Learn
Read the Starting Point guides, see each concept drawn and pass its quiz.
- 2
Practise
Play the machines from the CLI: from the easy ones, with one fault, to the hard ones, with many.
- 3
Compete
Earn XP, rank up, follow the tracks and join the seasons with your class or your friends.
Frequently asked questions
What people usually ask before they start.
What is visual-tracert?
A platform to learn networking through challenges: each machine is a real network with something broken (a VLAN, a trunk, a route, a DHCP or DNS server). You deploy it, find the fault and fix it from the devices' CLI, and the server checks that it really works.
Do I have to install anything?
No. Everything works in the browser: the devices are Linux containers and MikroTik routers running on the server, and you open their terminal from the page.
Is it free?
Yes. You create your account with GitHub or Google and get the guides, the quizzes and every machine.
What will I learn?
Networking layer by layer of the OSI model: Ethernet, VLANs and 802.1Q trunks at layer 2; ARP, IPv4, masks and static routing at layer 3; DHCP, DNS and HTTP at the application layer. Each machine says which layer its fault is at.
Does it help to prepare for certifications such as CCNA?
You practise the same fundamentals that certifications such as CCNA or CompTIA Network+ ask for (VLANs, trunks, routing, DHCP, DNS), with Linux and MikroTik commands. It is not an official course of any of them.
How is it different from a network simulator?
A simulator imitates the devices; here they are real devices in containers, with their CLI, their traffic captures for Wireshark and real pings. What you learn is what you will do on a real network.
Ready for your first machine?
Sign up for free with GitHub or Google and start with “Hello, Neighbour”: two PCs, a switch and a missing address.